Sayonara - Ellison's 80' Maxi - Headed for Permanent Home on San Francisco's Pier 80
Having been holed up in Holland Michigan since the 2000 Chicago Mackinac Race, Sayonara, Larry Ellison’s 80’ Maxi is headed home. Her destination, Pier 80 in San Francisco which is currently HQ for Oracle Racing and ground zero for all things Americas Cup on SF Bay until the construction of the new piers on the City Front are complete. Sayonara was the launching pad for Larry Ellison into the yacht Racing World, his 1st foray into serious competition. In a conversation with his neighbor, one David Thomson back in 1994, the subject of sailing to Hawaii was brought up after listening to Thomson’s tales of the Transpacific Yacht Race, Larry was intrigued. David suggested building a Maxi, the largest legally allowed for the race, and without much debate Larry agreed, so long as it was designed to win.
Enter Bill and Melinda Erkelens, Bay Area residents & friends of David Thomson, with a passion for sailing running through their veins since early childhood, were asked to manage the program from the inception and building process at Cookson Boats in Dave’s native New Zealand. Bill & Melinda ran the Sayonara campaign from 1994 through 2000 with professionalism and intrigue. Everything from accounting for purchases of the smallest screw to arranging the boat and it’s traveling circus of gear and personnel were tended to with scrupulous precision. Melinda commented in a 1996** interview ”We set our own budget, which must be approved by the owner, then do our best to stick to it.” During that tenure, Sayonara won 5 Maxi World Championships and whetted Ellisons’s passion for competitive yachting at the highest level.
Follow the link for pictures and interview with Bill and Melinda Erkelens.
